I know a man who jumped\ninto a raging river torrent. The river was raging over the waterfall and there\nwas someone in the water being dragged into its undercurrent. This man didn\u2019t\nstop to have a conversation with anyone about what to do. He didn\u2019t ask himself\nor others for that matter, about courage. He didn\u2019t stop to consider what a\nhero looked like. He just reacted to a very tough situation and without thought\nplunged into the turmoil. As a result someone\u2019s life was saved. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
When I went scuba diving\non a regular basis with the diving club I knew that there were strict\nguidelines to follow to be a safe diver. Consequently, I also know that it only\ntakes a minute or so for someone who is panicking to drown. I was taught that\nif you had to rescue someone who was panicking and thought they were going to\ndrown to approach them very carefully and with caution, they will grab you and\nuse you to hold onto in an attempt to save themselves, and you might end up\nbeing the victim. Better to wait until they were \u2018half drowned\u2019, whatever that\nmeans?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So jumping into a winter\ntorrent and saving someone is a very brave thing to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yes, it was brave, yes, it\ntook courage, yes, it saved a life and yes it made someone a hero.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
England manager Gareth\nSouthgate praised the “courage” of his side after they beat Spain to\nclaim their first Uefa Nations League victory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Southgate said his side\n“showed quality” and were “brave\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I wonder what Southgate\nmeant when he used the words, \u2018courage\u2019 and \u2018brave\u2019. Did he mean a type of\nbravery or courage; perhaps he meant fearlessness or nerveless? Sport so often delivers\ncommentary that provides us with heroic statements, \u2018His save was just heroic.\u2019\n \u2018He is the hero of the hour.\u2019 In society\nwe have public bodies that have taken the word \u2018hero\u2019 and given it new status.\n\u2018Help for Hero\u2019s.\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am often left wondering\nwhat constitutes a heroic act, what does take courage? I don\u2019t want to mix up the regular societal\nuse of the word courage, which could now mean anything, with those who run to\ndanger as a duty then go beyond that duty as an act of courage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Think of the police at\nBorough Market, fire fighters at Grenfell Tower, citizens who put their lives\nat risk and died doing so on London Bridge; those who lost their lives because\nof the courage they have shown; are these not the acts of courageous people, do\nthey not become our hero\u2019s? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Certainly for the members\nof their families who have had to confront their own fears at what a loved one\nhas done in saving or attempting to save lives, these acts may seem foolish. But,\nare undeniable courageous. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
To some the word \u2018hero\u2019 is\nthe only word to use, in its truest sense and meaning. Recent press coverage\nannounced the award of medals to those who displayed courage when getting involved\nat Borough Market in London. Some motivated by duty had to confront their worst\nfears, but still they responded. For one person instinct took over and they\nwent to help and paid the ultimate penalty. Yes, awards for courage were\nrightly presented; to one family a posthumous award for their son\u2019s selfless\ncourage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I can\u2019t recall, which\nmight well be because it hasn\u2019t happened, when a footballer or sportsperson received\na medal for courage, or heroism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not every person in the\narmed forces is a hero. This doesn\u2019t stop the word being ascribed to them\nbecause they wear the Queens uniform and take the Queens shilling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My friend David has Daniel\n(as in the Bible Daniel) as his hero.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My own hero is Jesus; because he became a human being, to be just like me when, he didn\u2019t have to, so he knows how I feel today. His story is written on his hands and feet and on his side. It\u2019s a real story worth reading. Jesus\u2019 heroism needs careful thought and scrutiny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Image Credit: Erwan Hesry<\/p>\n